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Monsters and Myths of Vheld
According to official reports sanctioned by the Great Republic, so called “monsters” are in fact simply natural creatures of unusual size and anatomy. Clorencia University’s Department of Unusual Biology is one of several scholarly groups dedicated to studying the less common species of Vheld. In the public imagination however, “Monster Hunters” have been the heroes of popular fiction and nonfiction media for almost a century. While such creatures are generally rare within the confines of civilization, they are believed to be all too common in the wilds of Irone, Northolme, and the Vori Jungles. History of Monsters One of the effects of the Cataclysm was a marked increase in the visibility and aggressiveness of such creatures. For a short time such beasts actually threatened and stalked people in the Great Republic. Scientists speculate that the earthquakes and shifting weather patterns of the time caused a few creatures to grow agitated, ignoring their fear of mankind and giving up their rural hiding spots in a state of confusion and hunger. The Department of Public Health and Safety and the Department of Ecology both note that such incidents have been grossly over inflated by less reputable news sources, and there have been no cases of deaths caused by wild animals since 217 NDE. Many people speculate that the sudden “monster attacks” of the time were related to the appearance of Elementalists and later Faeblooded, but this has yet to be proven as anything more than conjecture. Well known of “monsters” in Vheld include: The four legged crustacean-like predators of the Ironian flat lands, which can grow in sizes up to two meters from end to end and are known to attack cattle or horses. (Suggestions that a giant version of such creatures exist, such as the one seen in Sir Whilom Bloodbourne and the Infernal Insect of Irone, are pure fiction like so many of Bloodbourne’s adventures.) The giant pale bipedal amphibious reptiles of the Vori Islands. Such creatures can grow to up to 10 meters in length and 5 meters tall. They’re known to stalk prey both on land and below water. Some tribes of the Vori natives have tamed the notoriously ill tempered beasts as mounts, much to the dismay of the Free Island settlers. A smaller, winged species that glides along the the treetops of the Vori jungles is related. The Black Wolf of Anverone The Black Wolf of Anverone, a beast larger than a horse that stalked the forests of Anverone from 78 to 105 NDE. Reports from the time claim that it was responsible for the deaths of 23 people, that it was unaffected by bullets and could outrun a steam locomotive. After the wolf’s death it was stuffed and placed for display in Riyal Castle. Unfortunately, Riyal Castle was destroyed by artillery during the Accordance War, taking the stuffed body of the Black Wolf with it. The Xelu Bird The Xelu bird, a species of massive black birds that once made their habitat on the peaks of Melas, and can still be found in the shattered Melas isles. The Xelu were believed by the people of Melas to be a sacred animal, a nocturnal hunter whose wakening brought the night, and whose slumber allowed the sun to emerge. Xelu are near extinction now, following the destruction of their primary habitat and continued hunting by poachers from the Vori Islands. Tales and Legends Regarding folk tales or legends of the creatures of Vheld, details are sketchy. One of the goals of the New Dawn Revolution was the eradication of the superstitions, pagan religions, and occult practices of the decadent Clorencian Empire. Few people in the Great Republic today know much of anything about old stories of tricksters from the forest or spirits of the night. This is changing however, in the wake of the appearance of the Faeblooded and Elementalists. Stories of nymphs, trolls, and goblins are increasingly common in the Great Republic. Additionally, some rumors and tales state that the monstrous beasts of Vheld are related to the Faeblooded, that they share the same relationship with normal animals that Faeblooded share with humans. Outside of the Great Republic, there are many folk tales and legends of mythical beasts. In Irone it’s believed they were spewed forth from the earth itself. In Anverone legend states beasts such as the Black Wolf were sent as punishment for man’s sins. The legends of San Khotal and the Vori Island posit a world full of spirits, both mysterious and dangerous. Bralholme has legends of a great green dragon that once lived on the island, and the Ironian legends include the worship of similar creatures. The Myth of Creation In the Free Islands, influential popular cults dedicated to the Triple Goddess, and He Who Shall Not Be Named, a dark god of nefarious temperament and design, shares a myth that explains the creation of Vheld . It is called "The Myth of Creation" (also known as "The Beginning"), <<''The God Malawirel went mad. With rage unfettered he tore at the very fabric of the universe, unmaking his and his Siblings’ greatest works. Worlds crumbled. Stars collapsed. The Laws laid forth at the beginning of creation were negated.'' '' The other gods, being slow to rouse from their oblivious sleep, did nothing. However, The Three Goddesses, who were the least of the gods and were charged with watching the whole of creation,'' soon discovered Malawirel’s madness and met to decide what must be done. They were forced to act quickly when their chosen world, Bralius, was threatened by the Mad God. Gathering all they could in the short time they had, the goddesses ushered the population into the Ovum, the space between spaces where the creatures that ruled in the infancy of creation were banished. '' They then set a trap for Malawirel that severely weakened him for the few moments it took him to consume Bralius. It was then they struck and killed Malawirel. They then used their power to form his body into a new world. They named this new planet Laun and gave it as a gift to the refugees of Bralius and the handful of plants and creatures they had rescued from the fragments of innumerous dead worlds.'' '' The journey through the Ovum was not without price. Though none who had entered had aged a day, weary centuries had passed for the travelers and much which they had known had been lost. That which was contained in the Ovum stalked and killed many, while others just disappeared or went mad. Less than a third of those that began the journey emerged onto Laun.'' '' As the people settled on Laun, the goddesses performed their final acts. First they formed a moon from the remnants of Bralius a nd deposited on it all of their people’s lost lore and technology. They then placed a gateway to the moon and hid it so that only when the people of Laun reached a moment of perfection could they reach their old home.'' '' Then the goddesses dealt with the larger problem. Nothing had ever killed a god before. Some had disappeared and other were banished to the Ovum, but none had ever been killed. Not even the goddesses knew if Malawirel was truly dead. To ensure that the Mad God could never again spread destruction, The Three Goddesses made their final sacrifice. Focusing their very essences, they wrapped their energies around the dead god’s body, forming a barrier which would always hold him. This invisible energy field became known as the Trinaura .'' '' The sacrifice doomed the goddesses. Their powerless bodies were drawn into the Ovum by the very creatures they once exiled there. Within that cold place, they were corrupted. Their true names can never again be spoken. lest we, their very people, draw their malevolent attention.''>> Category:World Category:History